Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-09-28
PERFECT TERRORS.
The Wbiis Caps Of s0uihfrn lndIgnS-
A Few OF the Infamous uu}rages
Laid al Their B0ors.
Tho Law Dsfisd and the Press Muzzled
Out of Fear of Visit From
the Villains.
Cincinnati Enuulrer

the counties OF Harrison, Crawl -, !
Orange, Martin and Lawrence, end Is /
known as the "Nhtte C2ps" The de- |
predaluns of this order, sometimes com /
mjt,ed under the gujse OF lew, are
APPALLING - THEIR ATROCIEY.
Fer years and years these ''regulatCrs'' /
have held UGdispIted SWgy, ant the CrUe
auG ilBumsn treatment TO which they T
have subjected th9.r teIlow men, through /
fesr OF the victims themselves u recount
their experiences, has navCr been Ciz5o- /
ratea or made public.
While il is PROBABLE thS me White /
CsDs Came into existence for s. worthy !
purpose, they have aegeCeraied 5sdIv I
from body born 70 enforce the lcW il %
one bent on y.OlstiTg Il.
The order Of the White Caps vas frs.
known in Harrison county many years
age. The Affairs at CoTYdon, which was
tlen @ Leading town, were IL 2 5Sd
Iuuddle. Population and CG.CiaI coIrup-
ton were rampant, and the psople haC
been wrought up 10 the highest pitch
over the
GLAZING OFFICIAL FRAUDS
taat were b-ipg lpe-petr&ted. For s
long time the county commissioners
turned de2f e8T TO The demand for sn
invest zh-lCu 4h-6 liz IOk-SAuE-@ NI Jill
cia! matters, until one night s band Of
one huadEed men waited on them and
uCGed IN investigation 10 9 manner thaj
was SO imperative that the commission
eTs could 10 longer ignore the request.
! The committee q one huGdr5d al
| wore masks aud caps os white muslln;
hence the name OF ''Wnite Caps" By
which they have ever since blen known.
/ TIE investigation demanded wls mad,
| but il resulted IL an aral6ss lob Ct white
washing the guilty officials, w1iCH ulti-
ua,eiy terminated il complete political
revolution. The "Whita Caps" grew
stronger in number, whipped everybody
! who did not accord with their viaWs, ard
| insugurated reign of terror which every
now and then Is given 2 fresh imp 4tUs by
demonstrations of IsWlessnGss aud VIC
IenCe.
The "White Caps" OF the present da7,
| however, do not condce themselves 81
| whipping Offenders. Their mode OF al
minl5tering "justice" il some instances
has Deen demonstrated by numbering the
victims OF their wrath.
TIE MOST DIABOLICAL OUTRAGE
of which they have been guilty lateiy was
the l5nching Of Davis last summer for
the alleged Outrage Oh 4 young woman.
Subsequently il transpi-ed that Davis
waB innocent OF the crime, although TIE
guilty party was lot arrested until sfl,r
his death. The f6ndisn treatment to
which they subjected Davis, in order 10
make him confess to the crime of which
he WSg innocent, has never been equsled
in civilized country. They Unru=t
pointed sticks down his throat and into
his lungs, aud when life was extinct they
buried him like 8 dog.
Tie Indignation Of the people was
worked up to saGh pitch on nearing OF
: This most foul murder that the "Whlte
Caps" disinterred the remains and pulled
the sticks from their victim, IN order to
destroy the evidence OF his terrible death
The physicians who had examined the
remains, however, saw by Whsf methods
the deceased had been deprived of life
: j, W. GritiiO, editor OF the jasper Times
3 went over TO investigate the affair ant
get report for his paper, but no sooner
did be arrive at ECkerty, near the scene
; Of the tragedy, than be received no.t
warning him TO return home &C the peri
of his life, and he thanked God that ht
was permitted to come back alive.
TIE counties of Crawford, Harri sor
) and Orange, which are wild and unsettled
and traTersed only here End there b
railroads, are
EAVORITE RETREATS
for the "Whte Caps" or Knights of The
Switch, as they are sometimes called, and
the very existence OF these orders hay
: retarded the growth of the localities 81,
+ CRAFTY iuJerfered with the pros perity o
0 their citizens. The country papers /,
5 these sections, probably through fear
e
q Lsw-sbiding citizens are afraid to express
r themselves against the organization, not
: wlthstandiDg they are in possession @
evidence that would convict the member
d thereof of crimes inDumerabie.
9 One night recently the "White Caps
called ct the house Of respectable far
mer III Orange county and began an un
provoked assault on hIm. While they Wer
thus engaged the farmers daughte
e slipped out OF the house and with e kaif
G. cut loose al Of the horses Of the gan
= that We're tied outside. Ia her hurry az
= excitement she wounded one OF tn
" horses, and the next day the blood
:: tracks OF the animal were traced to I'll,
- barn OF prominent politician and farm
, er living in the Deignborlood, who
y, said to be the leader Of the gang. n
- one dared raise their voice against hin
and he shove
- NO FEAR OF OFFICIAL INTERFERENCE.a
- Recently a school teacher and dosso1
. both ipCfensiye citizens, were notified :
leave the country before q certain dat
"a and fearing The treatment others had re
~ ceived, they took their departure.
- Within the past week at least & ma
dozen whipping5 have taken plac,
ye Wilks Trotter, who lives at Msrengt
IN Crawford county, was badly whipped
We few nights ago. Subsequently he q
:. full and went home drunk On reachin
his house be was met by body
masked men who grabbed him and PHI
lg Toned him 10 q tree and administered a
le second beating, after which the leader
of the mob handed him note, which Ha
IN as follows:
re "Unless you go to work at wonce 81
is give your poor wife the money you eaI
IN and cease whippin' her, we will make yc
another visite.''
Jerry BoldeD, of Orange county, 1a
very roughly shsndled by the "Whit
N Caps" He had been neglecting to SUP
a. ply wood for his wife. He was hitche
: between the shafts Of al express wage
and driven by the REGULATORS" to
3 thicket. and Uhila me GreouIs <fTs